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Discography Check: 2Pac

When speaking of the West Coast, one name always seems to come up and that's Tupac Shakur. Though he spent time in New York and Baltimore growing up, he got his start truly repping for the West. When talking West Coast MCs, Pac is heralded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest. In terms of hip hop history, I think there is no other artist that is more influential than Pac. Today, we take a look at his discography, including posthumous released albums as well. Let's revisit them shall we?

*2Pacalypse NowReleased November 12, 1991

-The first album from Pac was a learning experience for him in a way. A bit rough around the edges and still locating his style, this debut solo album was good in spurts and on songs like "I Don't Give A Fuck", the classic "Brenda's Got A Baby", and "Soulja's Story", but much of the album sounds a bit dated and is lacking that timeless feel. I will give Pac credit however, because lyrically he was extremely aggressive and on the revolutionary wave here. He just needed the production to match his intensity and lyricism.

Rating: 5.5/10

*Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z.Released February 16, 1993

-Pac returned just a year plus later with another album, however this one was more focused and the production was a bit less dated on the revisit. Tracks like "Last Wordz" featuring Ice T and Ice Cube, the singles "Keep Your Head Up" and "I Get Around", not to mention the aggression in Pac's lyrics, this album was more of Pac starting to come into his own. Pac presented his message with a more precision, with his anti police stance never wavering. Still, the album left a bit to be desired and after his first two tries, Pac couldn't create a truly timeless album. He was still finding himself as an artist, and while this was good, we knew he had potential for more.

Rating: 6.5/10

*Me Against The WorldReleased March 14, 1995

-I guess the third time is the charm. After a compilation titled "Thug Life" released in 1994, Pac went to the studio after dealing with a court case and faced an impending jail sentence. He would take his paranoia and anger over this to create his best album yet. A true classic. Me Against The World is essentially flawless and shows Pac at his absolute best. He had finally perfected his sound and found himself as an artist. From the opening of the epic "If I Die 2Nite", to the amazing "So Many Tears", to "Lord Knows" to "It Ain't Easy", Pac showcased his pain on the album in the greatest way possible. His music meant something here and the album still gets play here. It is Pac's best album and his most iconic to me personally. It's where he truly came into his own and the album ended up selling over 3 million copies making Pac even more of a star than he was. Me Against The World is a classic hands down.

Rating: 10/10

*All Eyez On MeReleased February 13, 1996

-Less than a year later, after serving months in prison, Pac was out of jail and signed to Death Row Records. He went to work very quickly and made this iconic double album, which features a ton of classic songs. The opening song "Ambitionz Az A Ridah", "Got My Mind Made Up", "I Ain't Mad At Cha", "No More Pain", and a few others make the first disc damn near flawless. The 2nd disc however has a bit more filler, but still features classics like "Holla At Me", "Cant C Me", "Ratha Be Ya Nigga", and "Picture Me Rollin". Pac continues his hot streak with this double album, and while not perfect, the diamond selling album(over 11 million copies sold) is his most popular project and his most praised in terms of mainstream. It would be a classic on impact alone, and musically it's very close but just misses the mark.

Rating: 8.5/10

*The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day TheoryReleased November 5, 1996

-Known to most as the "Makaveli" album, this project is Pac's 2nd best period and a music classic. With the B-squad of Death Row producers at his disposal, Pac set out to make a timeless album and something that truly fit his direction and what comes is this. The album has a classic diss in "Bomb First", as well as another one in "Against All Odds", while still providing anthems with tracks like "Krazy", "Me And My Girlfriend", as well as "To Live and Die in LA". Pac made some of his greatest music on this album, with only a small misstep here at best. The production is different from the sound we were used to from Pac, but it works. Lyrically, Pac had almost fell off a bit from his earlier days and even Me Against The World days, but he recovers well with this album and blends everything together perfectly. Classic.

Rating: 9.5/10

*R U Still Down(Remember Me)Released November 25, 1997

-After the death of Pac, posthumous double albums were released and this was the first from Pac. Comprised of older tracks from his 1992-1994 period, this sounds like nothing but vintage Pac all the way. While lyrically militant and also laid back at the same time, this album connects with "Hellrazor", "When I Get Free", the iconic "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto", and the single "Do For Love" as always. A solid double album, with perhaps a bit too much clutter on it, but very dope overall. A solid follow up, even in death.

Rating: 7/10

*Greatest HitsReleased November 24, 1998

-Almost exactly one year later, they released the Greatest Hits project which is nothing to review, but features some newer tracks and while I won't give this album an actual rating, I'll definitely show love to the newer tracks such as "God Bless The Dead", "Changes", "Unconditional Love", and my favorite track on there "Troublesome 96", which adds to the already stacked lineup.

*Still I Rise(Featuring The Outlawz)Released December 21, 1999

-Continuing the trend at this point of one album from Pac a year, this project with The Outlawz was mostly solid. There were some songs that didn't need the Outlawz, but there were some that truly thrived with them. Thus, the issue here: Pac comes strong on this album, and manages to shine on "Teardrops and Closed Caskets", "Secretz of War", "Hell For A Hustler", and "High Speed". A good album overall, but just lacking in some areas with the Outlawz verses.

Rating: 6.5/10

*Until The End Of TimeReleased March 27, 2001

-I can't lie. I love this album. This is his best project after he passed away. The lyrics, the production, the mix of aggressive and introspective music, this is the quintessential Pac posthumous project in my opinion. With classics like "Letter 2 My Unborn", "Fuckin Wit The Wrong Nigga", "This Ain't Livin", the title track and others, this is the album that the estate was trying to piece together the last few years. They finally managed to get it right here and while there are a few filler tracks here(is always the case with double albums), it is overall the best project that was released after Pac died, and overall his 4th best album.

Rating: 8/10*Better DayzReleased November 26, 2002

-I remember personally going into Sam Goody and purchasing this album. I was excited to pop it in the CD Walkman and listen. I had heard a lot of this material on the Makaveli mixtapes that hit the streets, but hearing it in this remixed form for the most part was fun. I loved this album upon release, and when revisiting it, it is still a fun listen. It's an attempt to make a double album as if Pac was around for the current music scene and while some parts of it stretch too far, like the Mya feature or T.I. feature, the Trick Daddy appearance on the revamped "Still Ballin" and some of the remixes on disc 1 are solid. However, Disc 2 is mostly untouched and features true greatness. As a standalone disc, it might be one of Pac's best albums with the title track, "There U Go", "Catchin Feelinz", and "Who Do You Believe In" carrying the vibe. A good album overall, not as strong as the previous released "Until The End Of Time", but close.

Rating: 7/10

*Tupac ResurrectionReleased November 4, 2003

-Now, this one doesn't get a rating because it is mostly classic Pac songs along with a few remixed by Eminem. For the most part, the Interscope experiment works well, as the "One Day At A Time" remix works very well, as does "Ghost" and the "Realist Killaz" with 50 Cent. It was a nice experiment that should have ended here. Eminem and 2Pac of course.

*Loyal To The GameReleased December 14, 2004

-Up until this point, Pac posthumous projects could virtually do no wrong. Would Interscope allow Daz to produce the next Pac album? DJ Quik? Maybe squash issues with Dre and have him sit down and produce the next Pac album to make it perfect? Well, no. They went and got Eminem AGAIN to handle the bulk of the album here. Why? Who knows. Eminem was one of the biggest rappers but his production has never been anything to rave home about. While there are some dope songs like "Thugs Get Lonely Too", "Uppercut", "Black Cotton", and a few others, the production lags during most of the songs, making the remixed songs pointless. Em didn't upgrade the production on any of these tracks. Decent overall, and when first released it was cool, but repeat listens don't hold up well.

Rating: 5/10

*Pac's LifeReleased November 18, 2006

-This is where it needed to stop. Loyal To The Game was bad enough, but Swizz Beatz and Sha Money XL didn't seem to grasp what it took to make a Pac album in this day and age work. I have very little to say about this album and the best song to me would be "Sleep" featuring Young Buck and Chamillionaire. Otherwise, this was pretty much a dud and a bad way to end off the Pac posthumous career.

Rating: 3/10

What's your opinion on Pac and his discography? There are some rumored albums coming again in 2016, but should they just leave it alone? Post in the comments below.